Daily Prayer Practices and Soul Care for Writers

Book of the Month: Thoughts in Solitude

Week One: The Cost of Neglecting Solitude

Thomas Merton makes me want to take a walk in the woods for a week. At a time when we have no shortage of words, we desperately need the wisdom and insight that comes from extended periods of solitude. Just by virtue of his beautiful prose, Merton makes solitude desirable.

Via the book’s description: “Thoughts in Solitude addresses the pleasure of a solitary life, as well as the necessity for quiet reflection in an age when so little is private.”

Here are a few quotes from Merton to consider:

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“When society is made up of men who know no interior solitude it can no longer be held together by love: and consequently it is held together by a violent and abusive authority.”

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“God’s plan was that they [the Israelites] should learn to love Him in the wilderness and that they should always look back upon the time in the desert as the idyllic time of their life with Him alone.”